Area loss on Alaska's Juneau Icefield now 5 times faster than in the 80s

The study published in Nature Communications discusses the accelerating glacier volume loss on the Juneau Icefield in Alaska. The research shows that ice loss from the icefield has significantly increased after 2005, with rates of area shrinkage being five times faster from 2015 to 2019 compared to 1979 to 1990. Glacier volume loss has doubled since 2010, reaching 5.91 ± 0.80 km3 per year from 2010 to 2020. Thinning, recession, and fragmentation of glaciers have become widespread across the icefield plateau since 2005. The study highlights how rising equilibrium line altitudes and increasing ablation have driven hypsometrically controlled melt-accelerating feedbacks, leading to the observed acceleration in mass loss. The findings suggest that as glacier thinning continues, a mass balance-elevation feedback could inhibit future glacier regrowth, potentially pushing glaciers beyond a dynamic tipping point. The research underscores the vulnerability of Alaskan icefields to accelerated melt as the climate warms, emphasizing the importance of understanding the physical processes affecting glacier response to climate change for accurate projections and mitigation strategies.